Plant Biotechnology
Online ISSN : 1347-6114
Print ISSN : 1342-4580
ISSN-L : 1342-4580
Reviews
High-performance lignin-mimetic polyesters
Tatsuo KanekoDaisaku KanekoSiqian Wang
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2010 Volume 27 Issue 3 Pages 243-250

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Abstract

Liquid crystalline (LC) polymers were prepared by an in-bulk polycondensation of bioavaliable aromatic hydroxyl(carboxylic acid)s. p-Coumaric acid (4HCA) and its derivatives were selected as phytomonomers. The 4HCA homopolymer showed a thermotropic LC phase only in a state of low molecular weight. The copolymers of 4HCA with bile acids such as lithocholic acid (LCA) and cholic acid (CA) showed excellent cell compatibilities but low molecular weights. However, P(4HCA-co-CA)s allowed LC spinning to create molecularly oriented biofibers, presumably due to the chain entanglement that occurs during in-bulk chain propagation into hyperbranching architecture. P{4HCA-co-3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid (DHCA)}s showed high molecular weight, high mechanical strength, high Young's modulus, and high softening temperature, which may be achieved through the entanglement by in-bulk formation of hyperbranching, rigid structures. P(4HCA-co-DHCA)s showed a smooth hydrolysis, in-soil degradation, and photo-tunable hydrolysis. Thus, P(4HCA-co-DHCA)s might be applied as an environmentally degradable plastic with extremely high performance.

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© 2010 by Japanese Society for Plant Biotechnology
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